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Don Carlo Vineyard 2012 Estate Chardonnay
In honor of her Italian grandfather
Lori Kennedy grew up making wine with her grandfather, Carlo. An Italian immigrant in Seattle, Carlo had grapes sent by train every year from Lodi, California. With young Lori beside him, he made wine to last the family all year long.
Fast forward a few decades. Lori’s husband, Tim, had built a successful potato chip business. (That’s right: the world-famous Tim’s Cascade Chips.) When Tim was ready to retire, they returned to his home town of Athena, Oregon. This time, it was Lori’s turn to start a business – and she returned to her roots.
With Tim as her self-described “cellar rat”, Lori grows grapes and makes wine exclusively in the new Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA. The cobblestones that permeate the soil produce unique flavors in the grapes that struggle to grow amidst the rocks.
Named in honor of Lori’s grandfather, Don Carlo wines are among the finest examples of what we’re going to get from the new Rocks AVA.
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Don Carlo Vineyard, Milton-Freewater, Oregon
2012 Estate Chardonnay
The Don Carlo Chardonnay is produced in stainless steel tanks and cold-filtered to a creamy, fresh and light wine. You should taste a hint of fresh apple and pear flavors. The 2012 growing season was flawless and produced a fresh, complex, and subtle wine with no oak addition.
(Note that you won’t see “The Rocks” on the label, as this 2012 wine predates the 2015 establishment of the AVA – but the wine is grown in the heart of the District.)
A Cellar 503 selection in June 2015, Wines Outside The Willamette Valley The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater | Chardonnay
